


A Day of Inconvenience

by softandhappy



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24683533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softandhappy/pseuds/softandhappy
Summary: A one-shot inspired by IamDaiBae's fic, "A String of Inconveniences."Yuri Leclerc messes up his makeup in the morning. He was afraid that it was a sign of bad things to come.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & Constance von Nuvelle
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	A Day of Inconvenience

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IamDaiBae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamDaiBae/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A String of Inconveniences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809372) by [IamDaiBae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamDaiBae/pseuds/IamDaiBae). 



“Ahh, that dinner was delightful!”

Constance twirls her parasol as she gleefully strides along the sidewalk. Yuri walks behind her just a few paces away.

“I’ll need to bring Hapi to that restaurant someday soon, she simply has to try their Pheasant Roast! If I recall correctly, that’s her favorite meal. Oh, and perhaps she’d be interested to meet that handsome chef. What was his name? Ashe?”

She waits for Yuri to confirm, but when he doesn’t, she stops in her tracks and turns around.

“Yuri, are you even listening to me?”

He, in fact, wasn’t. Yuri gazes through the glass window, peering intently within. Constance clicks her tongue in irritation. As rude as he usually is, he would at least act much more attentive than this. Not that she was particularly hoping to keep his attention all to herself, of course. But she did find it rather rude that he has the audacity to ignore such a beautiful woman granting him the privilege of conversing with one such as her! She crosses her arms to display her displeasure before looking up to see the name of the store he was examining. Once Constance sees the name, her mood immediately shifts from dissatisfaction to pure excitement, and she squeals as a result. It abruptly shakes Yuri from his focus. He had never heard her make such a strange sound before.

“What’s got you so excited?” he asks. But before he could get an answer, she abruptly grabs Yuri’s arm, pulling him out of his focus, and makes her way to the entrance. “H-Hey!” he yelps.

“Why did you not inform me that we were in front of _Valentine’s Touch_?! I was told that this is where the most famous of Adrestia’s jewelsmith’s reside! We simply MUST go inside!” she exclaims. Yuri lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Do we have to?” he asks. Constance grips the handle of the entrance, but not before turning her head to pout at him.

“If you wish for this ‘date’ to end well, then we WILL,” she chastises.

 _Damn_ , he thinks to himself, _so this is why Balthus warned me about high-maintenance women._

As Constance opens the door, Yuri looks up to see her smile.

_Well, if anything, it’s endearing._

~

It was earlier this morning when Yuri felt that something was off. He hadn’t even gotten out of bed when the thought crossed his mind. The first sign was when he messed up his eyeliner. When Yuri took a look into the mirror and noticed his mistake, a tingling shock of fear went down his spine. As he scrambled to apply the remover, he thought back to the first time he had made a mistake on his makeup. It had been quite a long time ago, back when he first bought out the shop. That day, he had accidentally marked the bottom of his eyebrow. At the time, he thought of it as a simple mistake on his part. He just needed to remove it then reapply it, that’s all. A simple mistake, nothing more and nothing less. 

Then he had been mugged on his trip to the store later that day.

And soon after a customer had spilled boiling hot tea on him.

Then he had accidentally broken a cup while washing the dishes.

And after the shift had ended, an unforeseen storm had hit the area, drenching him in rain while leaving him bedridden with a cold the next day.

Ever since that dreadful incident, Yuri had been consumed by an overwhelming obsession to pay full attention while applying his makeup every morning. There had been times before when he’d mess up. And each time that occurred, the rest of the day would prove to be more than just unkind towards him.

 _To have made the same mistake_ , he thought to himself, _ridiculous! I have to be exceptionally careful today, especially with…_

He gulped. _Especially with Shadylady._

But to his surprise, he hadn’t experienced anything crazy. In fact, the morning had been suspiciously kind to him. He had an exceptionally pleasant encounter with Bernadetta, in which the adorable reporter gifted Yuri with a picture she took of him and Balthus during their last event. She told him that this picture would be used for her article of the event, and while it isn’t the most flattering image of the two men, he appreciated it nonetheless. Mercedes came over to gift him the odd-cookies of today’s batch. During her visit, she ended up buying a good amount of tea leaves. Dorothea, who had been participating in a photo shoot nearby, passed by the shop and brought in a crowd of adoring fans. Even Hapi, in all her whimsical wonder, came by to chat with him, seemingly for no reason whatsoever.

However, Yuri wasn’t going to let this seemingly wonderful day trick him. SOMETHING was going to go wrong, and by the time he closed up shop, he was sure that it was going to happen soon.

That was when he got the phone call from Balthus.

“And just where have you been,” he nagged, “today was a rather busy day! I would have at least appreciated a text-message, or something!”

When Balthus let out an exhausted chuckle in response, Yuri knew something was wrong.

“Sorry, sorry! I promise I’ll make it up to you,” was all he said. Yuri furrowed his brow in suspicion. Something was wrong with Balthus, he could tell. But he was hesitant to ask. Was it his place to inquire about—

“Tomorrow I’ll be there early in the morning, I swear. Heck, watch me, I’ll have the shop open and ready before YOU even wake up!”

Balthus let out a much heartier laugh, though it wasn’t a convincing one. “A-Alright,” Yuri faltered as he spoke, “well… goodbye for now, I suppose.”

When the call ended, Yuri crossed his arms and pondered to himself. Perhaps something really happened to Balthus, something that forced the man to abandon his work today. If so, Yuri still preferred to have known about it as early as possible.

Or… was he hiding something?

He shook his head to dismiss the thought. He trusted Balthus as much as he trusted himself.

Still, it did upset him a little to think that his friend had been so forlorn that he wouldn’t notify Yuri of an issue. That’s when the idea hit him: why not surprise his friend with a pleasant gift of his own? Today was rather kind to him, and so he figured that Balthus should at least partake in some of it. But how?

_… Do I still have some of that brandy left in the shop?_

Yuri spent a few minutes searching his stock, but no luck. Surprisingly enough, there was no alcohol whatsoever in the shop’s pantry. And he knew that there wouldn’t be any in his flat upstairs. He never held onto alcohol for very long if he ever got his hands on some.

His only option was to request some from his connections. “Surely I have someone who can provide me with adequate brandy… no, adequate won’t be enough. If possible, I need to get him something rare.”

“What was that about brandy?” a voice asked from behind him, causing him to yelp in surprise. He turned to see Constance, who had begun laughing at his uncharacteristic response. “Ahaha, frightened by my very voice! Quite embarrassing,” she mocked.

Yuri’s jaw tightened in aggravation. The last thing he needed was to be laughed at by her. “What do you want,” he griped, “I’m in the middle of something.”

She feigned offense and scoffed at him. “Good sir! Are you insinuating that I, Constance Nuvelle, proud and shameless proprietor of the Nuvelle Nightclub, come to you with an ulterior motive?”

He nodded.

“Yuri Leclerc, you unjustly cut me to the quick,” she said with a cheeky grin. Yuri rolled his eyes as he turned away. 

“I don’t have time for your antics today,” Yuri said while removing his apron, “I need to go out and get some high end brandy. Damn, but the sun’s nearly set. I doubt that I can get the quality I’m searching for at this time of hour—”

“I have a storage of vintage alcohol in the club,” Constance informed him. She smirked when she noticed how intrigued he became. Yuri reluctantly turned to her while tying his hair up. “Is… Is that so?” he asked with skepticism.

“Naturally! Do you believe me to be the type of person who would willingly serve her clientele low-quality liqueur? That I voluntarily allow my patrons to indulge in alcohol on the level of gas station beer?!” Constance crossed her arms and sharply turned her head away. “If so, then I am more than a little offended.”

Yuri’s eyes narrowed in irritation. First, she came in here for seemingly no reason. Now, she was the one getting angry? He pushed those thoughts aside and returned to pondering. If he were to take her at her word, then doubtless she’d have an acceptable quality of brandy. He did enjoy the drink he had when he first visited the night club (despite the events of that time).

"Fine,” he murmured. Constance’s lips curled into a smug smile. She leaned forward and held up her hand to her ear. “Apologies, but I’m not sure I heard that. Could you please repeat?”

Yuri gritted his teeth. “I said ‘fine’! Now just show me your goods and—”

“Who said I would just _give_ it to you?” she asked, her words drenched in disbelief, “What sort of ineffective business operator would I be if I carelessly gave away my products on a whim?”

With a heavy sigh, Yuri rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Then what do you want?”

“A date!”

His heart skipped a beat. “What was that?”

Constance coughed into her hand. “Truth be told, I was sent here by Hapi because she believed that I lacked the patience to have a civil conversation with you. If she saw the two of us engaged on a date, surely she’ll cease pestering me about it!”

 _Hapi_ , Yuri thought to himself, _I know you mean well._

“The sun is nearly set,” mentioned the mischievous girl, “perhaps if you were to contact one of your friends, they may not get the suitable alcohol you’re searching for in time. Instead, you could comply with my request, and assuredly get a high-end bottle of your choosing by the end of the day…”

“Alright, alright!” said Yuri, “We’ll spend the rest of the day together on a date! But you better have the finest of brandy available in this continent.”

The maiden laughed in a needlessly extravagant manner before turning away to the door. “I shall wait for you outside. Do be quick now, we are on a time limit!”

 _I see_ , realized Yuri, _this is the misfortune I was meant to face today. Although, I suppose a date with her wouldn't be a bad thing._

~

Which brings them back to now. Constance pulls Yuri into the store, and upon entering, they’re greeted by an adorable girl in pink.

“Welcome, miss!” she enthusiastically says, “My name is Hilda Valentine Goneril. Would you like me to show you our top of the line accessories? Or perhaps you’d like to try on our dresses? Our featured line of _Arnault’s Summer Wear_ would surely accentuate your beauty!”

Constance’s eyes sparkle with a delight only rivaled by a child being gifted with a new toy. “Y-Yes! I shall defer to your esteemed opinion, Miss Goneril!”

As she’s led away by the smiling girl, Yuri goes about searching for the item that caught his eye from outside. He makes his way to the glass pane and finds a display case of what he was looking at.

It was a simple hair clip, designed after one of Adrestia’s famed flowers. Compared to everything else in the store, it didn’t stand out as something exceptional. But because of that, it caught Yuri’s eye. He appreciated the modest beauty found within plain accessories like this one. At least, he appreciated it much more than the gaudy false charm exuded by overly extravagant accessories. Valentine’s Touch deals with jewelry and clothing on all levels of fashion. Yuri knows that he shouldn’t necessarily be surprised to see a modest hair clip like this, but he was surprised all the same.

Especially when the person who runs the store is—

“Is that a beautiful specimen of a human being I see, or is it just the same old Yuri Leclerc?”

Yuri turns around and smiles. “Holst,” he happily chimes, “it’s been a while.”

The taller man happily pulls Yuri into a hug. He had forgotten how affectionate Holst can be, but despite how embarrassed this made him, Yuri was more relieved to see that his friend was still the same as ever. The two of them had met each other through Balthus, where they hit it off with one another in their shared love for fashion. However, since opening up _Valentine’s Touch_ alongside his sister, Holst has had little time to visit Yuri and Balthus on his own time. 

Yuri was reluctant to enter in the first place because he was unsure of how Holst would receive him. How glad he is to know that his hesitance was unfounded.

“I see you’ve brought a girl,” Holst slyly notes, “of course, with how popular you are, I’m not surprised at all!”

“Oh please,” Yuri says while glaring at Constance, “I would rather take my chances with Edelgard von Hresvelg than with her.”

Holst chuckles while patting Yuri’s back. “My experience in this line of work has proven to me that those kinds of words indicate much more than you realize.”

“You know nothing!” Yuri sharply retorts.

As the two catch up on each other’s affairs, Constance busies herself with the plethora of beautiful outfits to try on inside the fitting room. She had read about how highly coveted this place was rated among the locals, but she never expected that such a deceptively small store could store such extravagant wares. Truth be told, a part of her was excited to open her night club in Adrestia solely because of this store’s infamy, but she would never admit that to anyone else. Though, she figures that Hilda wouldn’t judge her for it. And how lucky she is to be assisted by THE Hilda Valentine Goneril! The tabloids attribute the store’s success to her efforts. They praise her ingenious designs and her inspiring attitude towards fashion: If it doesn’t make you happy, then why bother? 

It was a message that Constance could resonate with. She is, in fact, experiencing that happiness right now. So much so that even Hilda can tell, and as a result, she became more and more determined to adorn her customer in an outfit befitting of her beauty.

“Should I wear hoops with this dress? Or would it clash with the ‘mysterious beach-side girl’ aura that it emits?” Constance asks. Hilda ponders for a moment.

“May I suggest pairing it with a simpler design instead? Ooh, wait! I know the perfect earrings, wait right here!”

As the jubilant girl quickly dashes to the jewelry, Constance looks at herself in the full body mirror. Her face beams when she sees how gorgeous she looks, but the smile soon fades. 

_Beach-side girl aura, how pathetic am I?_

She changes her pose, hoping to feel a little more confident about herself.

_I’ll hardly ever wear something this lovely on a sunny day. This looks more suitable for Mercedes, or even Hapi._

Her hair droops down in front of her face, covering her downcast gaze.

_Is someone as worthless as I even deserving of such glamorous articles of clothing…?_

Constance looks up once more at the mirror. The reflection of her disgusting, dreary, unattractive face only serves to tear her heart more and more.

_It is like staring at a child who pretends to be an adult by attempting to wear her mother’s bedizened dresses._

She didn’t want to be there anymore.

Constance promptly undresses herself. Before Hilda could return with the earrings she wanted to suggest, the discouraged woman had already neatly folded the clothes and held it in her arms. She musters up a smile with what little joy she still has.

“Thank you, Madam Goneril. I would like to purchase this dress now, if possible.”

The way her voice breaks into a coarse mess of dejected sorrow made Hilda a little sad. Was she unhappy with her service? A minute ago, she seemed so happy! But out of respect for her customer’s privacy, Hilda chooses not to pry, and instead guides Constance to the checkout counter. Holst watches as his little sister does her best to keep her positive attitude, but it obviously wasn’t doing much for their customer. He turns to Yuri to ask about it, but notices him looking at the accessories on display. “See something you like?” he asks.

“Er, no I… Actually, yes.”

~

The two of them leave the shop and stand outside in silence.

“Where else would you like to go, Shadylady?” Yuri asks Constance. She turns away to hide her face.

“I would prefer to return to the nightclub. It has been a wonderful date, Mr. Leclerc, and I apologize for taking up your time so selfishly like this.”

Constance was already walking away before he could ask her what she meant by that. Despite her best efforts to hide it, Yuri could perceive how broken her voice sounds and how dreary her general mood seems to be. Had he offended her somehow? Perhaps it was the nickname. But even though she didn’t like being called that, they both knew that Yuri only says it to tease her. So surely it was something else. He can’t imagine Hilda treating Constance poorly, especially when Holst is around to supervise.

As much as he hates to admit, he was slowly filling up with worry.

The walk back to the nightclub was silent and awkward. And while it was silent when they first set out, it was hardly as uncomfortable as it is now. Yuri made a few attempts at bringing up conversation, but each and every attempt was met with a rather depressing statement from Constance. And each one essentially negated the flow of conversation, almost as if she didn’t want to keep talking.

For the rest of the walk, Yuri stays quiet.

It is nighttime when they arrive at the nightclub, yet Constance still keeps her parasol open. The two of them stand outside the door in silence. Yuri coughs to fill the air with a noise before letting the silence unnerve him any further.

“I apologize for my impudence,” laments Constance. “To have wasted your evening in such an insolent and discourteous manner is undeserving of one such as you. Were I only less self-centered, I would have simply allowed you to browse my alcohol and allow you to take whatever you desired.”

She dryly laughs in an endeavor to lighten the mood. “Please forgive me while I unlock the premises for you to—”

“Okay, okay, hold up there birdie.”

Yuri sighs and places a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know where this scornful tone of yours is coming from, but I don’t appreciate it.”

“Ah, of course,” she quietly utters, “how presumptuous of me to ever believe that my apology would satiate your anger.”

“No, Constance, that is not what I said.”

“Oh, it seems I did it again. Please, forgive—”

“Constance.”

In a fit of concern, Yuri cups her face in between his hands. He forces her to look at him. “I don’t like it when you insult yourself.”

Her heart skips a beat.

“I enjoyed our date. I enjoyed taking you to dinner. And I enjoyed taking you to buy clothes. I enjoyed being with…”

_What in the world am I saying?!_

He bit his tongue before continuing any further. The painful regret of admitting his feelings hit him like a truck running by at high speed. He takes a moment to repeat the words in his head, and he shudders in embarrassment. Constance, on the other hand, was awestruck by his words. She repeats his words in her mind. 

Then she repeats it once more. Then once more. Once more. 

More, more, more.

It warms her heart.

“Just, er, uh,” he stumbles his words and fails to recover. “G-get ahold of yourself, okay?” He releases his grip on her shoulders, and once again, the silence fills the air between them. However, it didn’t feel awkward. And, almost as if they both realized it at the same time, the two of them laugh, relishing the moment between them. Constance lightly slaps her cheeks to revitalize herself, and when she does, she confidently puffs out her chest.

“You wanted brandy, yes? Best of the best?”

“Well, not the best of the best per se. If possible, something above average.”

Constance clicked her tongue in disagreement. “Nonsense! Do you settle for only above average brews in your shop? I would hope not! Wait here, I’ll fetch you our finest bottle in just a moment.”

She enters the club, leaving Yuri outside to wait for her. He tries to push down the mental image of her smile to compose himself, but ultimately fails when he remembers the tiny box tucked away in his pocket.

Like she had said, it didn’t take long for Constance to return with a bottle in hand. She holds the label up for him to see. “ _L'avenir de Lucina Sapphire Grande_ , imported from the faraway continent of Archanaea. Connoisseurs of alcohol describe the beautiful blue hues of the liquid as a glimpse into the past monarchy. Apparently, the queen they named the brandy after had stunning blue hair,” she notes. “And, if I may add, it does look awfully mesmerizing in a clear glass.”

“Interesting. I assume you can vouch for the taste?” Yuri asks her. Constance nods and flashes an optimistic smile.

“I swear on my family name,” she proudly proclaims. He chuckles as he takes the bottle from her.

“Thanks, Constance. I appreciate this, I really do.”

With that brimming confidence of hers, she smiles once more. “Think nothing of it!” she says while gesturing for effect. “I did enjoy this date of ours. Hopefully Hapi can see fit to stop pestering me about you.”

“Right.”

…

…

“Well, I should get going,” Yuri says. “It’s awfully late, so you should go as well. Or, would you like to crash the night again?”

Constance holds her hands up in refusal. “I couldn’t possibly impose like that again! I’ll simply call for a cab to take me to my apartment, no need to worry.”

“I see.”

… 

…

“Do you have the money for a cab? And do you have your phone this time?” he asks her. She pouts in disbelief.

“Of course I do! Last time was simply an, uh, error in judgment!”

“Right, right. Sorry.”

…

…

“Er, if you’re thirsty, I could pour you a drink?” Constance suggests. Yuri shakes his head.

“I’ll be fine. I can brew my own tea in my shop.”

“Oh! Right, of course, silly me!”

…

…

“So, about that restaurant we ate at earlier. How did you manage to get us a table? I’ve heard from my patrons that they only seat for reservations,” Constance asks.

“That handsome chef you met, Ashe, he and I are two birds of a flock. He’s actually the owner, and since we go way back, he pulls these kinds of strings for me.” Yuri chuckles as he reminisces his childhood with Ashe.

“That’s wonderful! Impressive as well. Yes, quite impressive indeed.”

…

...

Neither of them want to leave. Neither of them want the other to leave. They both want to stay together, even if it might look strange to anyone passing by. They didn’t care. If they can just relish in this fleeting moment, they were willing to throw away their pride.

But Yuri knew that they needed to part ways, otherwise he just might find himself unable to leave her side.

“Oh, I nearly forgot.” He reaches inside his pocket, but before he pulls his hand back, he looks at Constance. “Would you close your eyes for just a sec? I have a surprise for you.”

She promptly does as he asks and waits. The suspense excites her a little, though she did try her best to temper it. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what he was about to do. A part of her envisioned the man doing something unexpected, such as a kiss, but the rest of her knew that Yuri wasn’t that type of person. But when she suddenly feels his hand brush against her cheek, her heart begins to beat faster and faster. His hands moved higher towards her hair, and she could feel some sort of object poking at her. When he pulls his hands away, she hesitantly opens one eye. Yuri quickly takes out his phone and takes a picture of her, catching her by surprise. The light from his camera’s flash briefly dazes her, and she was about to complain until he showed her the picture.

He had clipped a small flower barrette onto her hair. The small jewel embedded in the center of the flower’s plastic petals sparkled in the photo, presumably from the camera flash. Constance’s own eyes light up at the sight of it. While it wasn’t the most beautiful accessory in the world, she found it to be adorable.

“I bought that back at the jewelry store,” Yuri explains. “I wasn’t really sure why I did, but… I did. So, you can have it.”

Before she can say anything, he turns away and makes his way back to the tea shop. After crossing the street, he turns around and waves to her.

“Be sure to wear it with that dress you bought,” he yells out, “it’d actually make you look good for once, Shadylady!”

**Author's Note:**

> Please go read Dai's work, it's such a fun ride of emotions reinterpreted into a modern setting. I'm super proud of her and how much she's poured into the fic!


End file.
